Chris Bourke gets the formal nod as the 5th Minister amidst a reshuffle

Dr Bourke will become the Minister for Education and Training and take on the portfolios of Corrections and Industrial Relations.

Significantly, he will also become the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, making him both the first Aboriginal Minister to serve in an ACT Government and the first Aborigine to take carriage of this important portfolio.

“I welcome Dr Bourke to the front bench and look forward to working closely with him,” the Chief Minister said.

“The time had come to appoint a fifth Minister to my Cabinet. Dr Bourke has settled in to his role very well following his election to the Assembly. He has worked hard over the past six months and is ready to take the next step to serve the community and support the Government’s work.

“Dr Bourke’s personal and professional achievements are extensive, making him a great asset to our front bench. He was the first Aborigine to complete a dental degree; he has experience running a private practice; and he has been a member of both Regional Development Australia and the Campaign for Indigenous Health Equality (Close the Gap). He has also been chairman of the Australian Dental Association (ACT Division), President of the Indigenous Dentists’ Association of Australia, and Chairperson of the ACT Indigenous Education Consultative Body,” Ms Gallagher said.

But wait! There’s more, in fact a broader reshuffle.

— The Chief Minister is keeping Health, but picking up Territory And Municipal services. This returns the “Mayor of Canberra” model that Jon Stanhope used well in his later years.

— Andrew Barr is keeping Treasury and picking up Economic Development and Tourism, Sport and Recreation.

“For me the vision is clear: we must use our existing assets in the knowledge economy to build the Clever Capital where ideas are grown and then marketed to the world.

“Canberra is home to five universities and the CIT as well as research institutions like the CSIRO. Of course education is about more than the tertiary sector. I recently visited the Southern Cross Early Childhood School in Scullin in my electorate. This innovative school has early childhood education and care, preschool and junior primary school – all on one campus. It is the beginning of a seamless approach to education, from cradle to work,” Dr Bourke said.

I welcome his appointment and I know he will bring energy and talent to this important portfolio in what are undoubtedly exciting times for education in the capital.

Education is the ACT’s largest export (outside government services) and I am sure the new minister shares our vision of making Canberra an Education City. My colleagues and I look forward to working with him to make this vision a reality.

What’s Your opinion?

The Hutch is right (and Nifty is sort of right) – operational areas of transport stayed in TAMS and the policy and regulation moved to ESD and JACS.

Interesting move for Katie to take on TAMS, following in Stanhopes wake there, it might make it easier for her to answer all the regular issues on Chief Minister Talkback and have direct responsibility for trying to make them happen!

And the pity of this is that she has been a champion for the people who elected her by a country mile over the blow in. What a slap in the face for the voters of Ginninderra. One thing she must be getting sick of showing is the poise she has had to demonstrate first over Joy Burch and now with “the doctor”! FFS he’s a dentist! This is the community’s loss. I wonder at katy’s judgement even more now.

I suggest you ask TAMS why they haven’t updated their website. I have a job I am paid to do (not at TAMS) so answering that does not rate paticularly high as one of my priorities.

Incidentally, Andrew Barr has not picked up but RETAINS both Economic Development (which he picked up in the last reshuffle) and Tourism, Sport and Recreation (which I believe he has held since the Stanhope Government was re-elected in 2008). This can all be checked on the ACT Government’s Legislation Register website. I don’t work for JACS either but I can vouch that the Legislation Register is kept up to date.

By the way, the point I was trying to make to BC was that it would be helpful if people checked their facts before rushing to erroneous conclusions about people’s motivations. I am sorry if this has led to a flaming war; although who said what to whom is now hopelessly confused (it appears that I am responding to myself) because you published my first rather than second response to BC’s rather virulent personal attack on me.

Mary Porter must have peed someone off. How come she cannot get a gig in a Ministry, and gets the leftovers of Deputy Speaker. Bourke is a blow in on the batting order – it would have been good to see his mettle first as a politician before giving him some crucial gigs.

I think the most interesting news here other than Bourke getting education is that Chiefly Gallagher will be the new Minister for transport with the TAMS portfolio. So Corbell loses transport again.
Pushing hard as she did for the Majura parkway by allocating $150 million dollars of the territories money, sounds ominous for the future public transport and cycling and walking infrastructure.

Wrong again. Transport is part of Justice & Community Safety. Simon Corbell keeps the responsibility which he acquired in the last Ministerial reshuffle

An apology to the Chief Minister might be too much to ask for but I suggest that future observations be grounded in fact.

I think the most interesting news here other than Bourke getting education is that Chiefly Gallagher will be the new Minister for transport with the TAMS portfolio. So Corbell loses transport again.
Pushing hard as she did for the Majura parkway by allocating $150 million dollars of the territories money, sounds ominous for the future public transport and cycling and walking infrastructure.